Not only a Web Designer, also a Web Consultant

To understand what a Web Consultant does, we first have to be clear on what a consultant is. A consultant is generally a professional who specializes in a particular area. In most cases a consultant is someone who gets paid for their expertise and insight. Generally they’re highly trained and specialize in a particular field.

I consider myself a Web Consultant because I specialize in many areas of the web (design, development, branding, optimizing websites for search engines, marketing, research, analytics etc). We offer much more than just design and develop websites pretty websites. I love doing this because it’s a part of the job and it is in my DNA.

Different professions with different goals

A web consultant’s goal is to solve their client’s problem with the business’s success in mind. A web developer’s goal is to write code to meet your project specs. Button here, notification there, image over here, strategy nowhere. The solution the client has in their mind isn’t always the best way to achieve your goal.

A web consultant listens. A consultant considers the business model, the audience, the competition, and all of those considerations play into the project at hand.

A web consultant isn’t afraid to say no. When a client suggests something that the consultant doesn’t see as a good fit for the project, or it’s not the right time, the consultant will be willing to say no. A good consultant will follow that up with an alternative approach or a full explanation for why the idea is being shut down.

A web consultant wants to see their work succeed post-launch. Rather than just focusing on launch day, they are more concerned about the long-term success of their guidance and development. They are willing to check back later to recommend potential changes or upgrades that can accelerate growth or success.

A web consultant only starts writing code when the solution is clear and tackles the true business issue at hand.

A web consultant will not suggest their own services if they don’t believe there’s a good chance at a reasonable ROI. While they can’t guarantee an ROI and they don’t know every industry’s key to success, their experience with previous projects and businesses gives them a leg-up above business owners looking to grow their business using web technologies.

If you’re a small business and are interested in increasing sales, improving your brand awareness and building stronger customer relationships, shoot me an email. I’d love to earn your business and help you grow.